A Lamp Made With a Palm Tree Bark

Some years ago, our nice palm tree was attacked by a butterfly, I found the following name on internet, Paysandisia archon but don't ask me more. The palm tree died, it was fully infested by big white sworms or better said, caterpillars of butterfly.

When cutting the palm tree, I found out that the trunk or the bark separated in several slices or tubes of fibres. Not really knowing to what I could use, I nevertheless kept some... don't visit my shop, it is full of things that could be used one day...

I like playing with light, and after some years I had the idea to make a lamp out of it. I think that the famous sentence from Lavoisier applies here: "Rien ne se perd, rien ne se crée, tout se transforme" - "Nothing is lost, nothing is created, everything is transformed"

I first published this instructable on a french site: ouiaremakers and also on my blog.

ouiaremakers: lampe en écorce de palmier

olivierbricole: une lampe en écorce de palmier

Electrical stuff to make a lamp: socket, wire, switch,and plug, led bulb, threaded pipe and nut, piece of scrap wood .... and a bark of palm tree.

On the picture you see several tubes, with the leaf departure clearly visible.

I selected one and measured the perimeter, and derived the diameter of the wood cylinder to support it. I made the wood cylinder a bit bigger to be sure the bark tube is maintained tight.

I used a piece of scrap wood to make the base.

I cut it with the scroll saw, drilled a hole for the threaded tube supporting the socket, and made a countersink for the nut with a milling tool, and a passage for the cable with a router.

the socket is mounted on the base thanks to the threaded tube which allows the wire to go through.

It's done!

It didn't involve a big effort but the result is really nice.

I participate to the contest 'Trash to treasure 2019' if you enjoyed, don't forget to vote!